This invention relates to methods for playing casino games and an electronic side bet progressive jackpot gaming apparatus and method.
A progressive jackpot played with live casino card games is known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,104 (Jones et al.) describes an arrangement whereby players may take part in a progressive jackpot by placing side bets into token slots. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,194 (Breeding et al.) describes an electric network whereby a progressive jackpot game may be linked by multiple gaming tables at multiple facilities.
Heretofore, players wishing to participate in card game progressive jackpots were required to insert one or more tokens into a slot usually located near the player. There is usually an indicating means, such as a LED display to inform the dealer that a particular player is taking part in a side bet. However, the use of tokens has many disadvantages, in particular it takes away token circulation from the casino, it increases the need to replenish the dealer""s token bin, K necessitates the player to physically insert a token every time a side bet is placed, and it takes up playing time when the dealer pays out winning tokens to players.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous and time-saving to eliminate the need for tokens in progressive jackpot side bet games. Furthermore, it would also be advantageous for the dealer to interact with the players, such as paying out winning players without involving the physical handling of tokens.
Popular card games such as Blackjack (also known as Twenty-One) are commonly played at casino game tables. However, the Twenty-One card game has been played virtually unchanged through the years. It is desirable to introduce a variation to the winning possibilities for the players. This will not only increase the payers"" chances of winning, but also enhance the level of excitement around the gaming table.
Besides taking part in a normal wager, a player may participate in a side bet progressive jackpot. Depending on the card arrangements, a player who is dealt a set of predetermined cards wins either all or a portion of the jackpot. In this connection, U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,105 (Jones) discloses different predetermined xe2x80x9cwinning handxe2x80x9d cards in a Twenty-One game which will entitle a player to win the progressive jackpot. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,485 (Jones et al.) describes additional predetermined winning hand"" cards with Twenty-One, and poker games such as Stud Poker, Draw Power or Lo-Ball Poker.
It will be of interest to progressive jackpot Twenty-One players to experience other kinds of side bet winning possibilities. One such possibility is a predetermined card combination which employs colour-coded playing cards. If a player is dealt a set of colour-coded cards which matches any one of the predetermined arrangements, then the player will win either all or a portion of the jackpot.
Furthermore, it will be of even greater interest to progressive jackpot Twenty-One players if someone who plays the side bet wins the jackpot and all players at the same gaming table who also played the side bet would be entitled to an equal or lesser share of the jackpot winnings.
The method and apparatus of the present invention comprise a gaming table top suitable for progressive jackpot side betting and ways to accomplishing same. The invention provides a gaming table top having one or more gaming stations for individual players. The station of each individual player is colour co-ordinated. For instance, there can be seven stations with each station bearing a different colour-code wagering area. Each player has a player""s banking centre in the vicinity of his/her wagering area. The bank allows the player to accumulate gaming dollars to play the progressive side betting. For each hand of the game the player wishes to take part in the side bet, one dollar will be deducted from the players bank. If a player who participates in the side bet wins, the dealer can conveniently electronically xe2x80x9cdepositxe2x80x9d the players share of winning dollars into his/her bank
The gaming table is provided with a large progressve alphanumeric LED display in the middle, the location of which allows all the players to deafly view the display. The LED display enables the house to show the amount of the accumulative jackpot at every hand. Additional messages can also be keyed into the display directed towards the players.
The gaming table also includes a command centre key pad for use by the dealer to interact with each player electronically, including withdrawing form and crediting to a player""s bank. The key pad comprises other control buttons such as Start Hand and End Hand buttons, confirm and cancel buttons etc. The dealer may use any of these buttons to control the flow of the game, as well as to interact with individual players.
The sequence of actions during the betting and playing of the hands according to this invention typically consists of.
players wager on the casino game (e.g. Blackjack) and making side bets for the progressive jackpot;
the dealer starts the round of play by pressing the Start Hand button;
cards are dealt to all players who have made a wager and to the dealer;
the hands of the players are finalised one at a time starting with the first player and proceeding sequentially therefrom in a clockwise direction;
a player""s wager is collected or that player is paid winnings if it can be determined at that time whether the player has won or lost;
the dealer""s hand is finalised once the hands of all the players have been finalised;
each player""s wager is collected or winnings are paid depending on whether the player has won or lost,
a determination is made as to whether or not a Specialty Hand has occurred during the round and any winners are paid according to the type of Specialty Hand that has occurred;
the dealer ends the round of play by pressing the End Hand button.
The method of playing an enhanced variation of Twenty-One of the present invention involves a playing method called xe2x80x9cColor It Upxe2x80x9d(trademark). This is similar to traditonal Twenty-One played in casinos. The game consists of one or more players and a dealer who deals the cards for the house. The playing cards used are special cards designed for this gamexe2x80x94each deck of fifty two cards is entirely one colour on the face side, thirteen of each suit. Multiple colour-coded cards may also be used. Besides the traditional blackjack winnings, a player also wins his hand i his cards fall into one of many predetermined arrangements (the xe2x80x9cSpecialty Handxe2x80x9d).
To elevate the level of interest to progressive jackpot Blackjack players, the present invention provides for yet another playing method known as xe2x80x9cPay The Tablexe2x80x9d(trademark). The eight decks of specially colour code cards used in this game is similar to those used in the Color It Up game. The major difference in Pay The Table is that at the start of each hand, each player puts a dollar into a progressive jackpot which may optionally be connected to other tables. If any player at the table gets a Specialty Hand, then every player at the table who played their dollar on that hand also wins money from the jackpot. In another embodiment of Pay The Table only players who played the dollar in the progressive jackpot may win Specialty Hands, and in doing so every player who played the side bet on that hand would also win from the jackpot.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method to enable casino card game players to participate in an electronic side bet progressive jackpot without the need to use tokens to indicate their intention to play.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic bank for each casino game player.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a command centre key pad for use by casino game dealers to interact with the players and their banks by electronic means.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a predetermined card. combination which employs colour-coded playing cards for playing conventional Blackjack.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide opportunities for all those who take part in a progressive jackpot at a given table to win, even if only one or some of the players at the table wins in accordance with a predetermined Specialty Hand arrangement.
Accordingly the present Invention provides an electronic side bet progressive jackpot gaming table apparatus comprising a color-coded player""s banking centre, including a coin slot means, player electronic button means and associated digital display means; and a dealer key pad, said key pad providing a plurality of dealer electronic button means for a dealer to suitably operate a side bet progressive jackpot game.
The present invention further provides a method of playing a casino table card game using an electronic side bet progressive jackpot gaming table apparatus comprising the following sequential steps:
(a) players wager on a Blackjack game and make side bets for a progressive jackpot;
(b) the dealer starts the round of play by pressing a Start Hand button on a dealer""s key pad;
(c) cards are dealt to all players who have made a wager and to the dealer;
(d) the hands of the players are finalised one at a time starting with the first player and proceeding sequentially therefrom;
(e) that player""s wager is collected or winnings paid if it can be determined at that time whether the player has won or lost;
(f) the hand of the dealer is finalised once the hands of all the players have been finalized;
(g) each players wager is collected or winnings paid depending on whether the player has won or lost;
(h) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round and any winners are paid according to the type of winning combination hand that has occurred; and
(i) the dealer ends the round of play by pressing the End Hand button on the dealer""s key pad.
The present invention also provides for a method of playing a casino Blackjack game, comprising the steps of:
(a) players position themselves at a gaming table with color-coded play stations;
(b) players wager on the Blackjack game and, optionally, make side bets for a progressive jackpot,
(c) a dealer starts the round of play by dealing to each player cards from a combined deck of cards made up of a plurality of standard decks of playing cards except that each deck is of one color, with each said color matching that of the players station;
(d;) cards are dealt to all players who have made a wager and to the dealer;
(e) the hands of the players are finalised one at a time starting with the first player;
(f) that players wager is collected or winnings paid if it can be determined at that time whether the player has won or lost;
(g) the dealers hand is finalised once the hands of all the players have been finalized;
(h) each player""s wager is collected or winnings paid depending on whether the player has won or lost; and
(i) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round and any winners are paid according to the type of winning combination hand that has occurred.
The present Invention further provides a method of playing a casino Blackjack game, comprising the steps of:
(a) players position themselves at a gaming table with color-coded play stations;
(b) players wager on the Blackjack game and, optionally, making side bets for the progressive jackpot;
(c) a dealer starts the round of play by dealing to each player cards from a combined deck of cards made up of a plurality of standard decks of playing cards except that each deck is of one color, with each said color matching that of the players station;
(d) cards are dealt to all players who have made a wager and to the dealer,
(e) the hands of the players are finalised one at a time starting with the first player;
(f) that players wager is collected or winnings paid if it can be determined at that time whether the player has won or lost;
(g) the dealer""s hand is finalised once the hands of all the players have been finalised;
(h) each player""s wager is collected or winnings paid depending on whether the player has won or lost;
(i) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round and any winners are paid according to the type of winning combination hand that has occurred; and
(j) all other players who participated in the side bet jackpot are paid the same or a lesser amount as the player who was dealt the winning combination hand.